A call between a calling party and a called party, one or both of whom may be subscribers to Internet Telephony (IT) services, commences upon the receipt of a call dialed by the calling party to the Plain Old Telephony Service (POTS) number associated with the calling party. A first hub receives the call and routes it to the called party if that party is not an IT services subscriber that is currently on line. If the called party is an IT services subscriber that is on-line, the call is received at an Internet Services Provider serving the called party. The ISP converts the call to an IT format if the call is not already in that format and thereafter delivers the call to the called party.
Legal claims defining the scope of protection. Each claim is shown in both the original legal language and a plain English translation.
1. A method for completing a call dialed from a calling party to a plain old telephony service number associated with a called party, comprising: receiving, via a hub, the call dialed to the plain old telephony service number associated with the called party in a telecommunications network; determining, via a hub, whether the called party is an internet telephony service subscriber and is on-line, wherein the determining uses the plain old telephony service number to identify an identity of an internet service provider serving the called party; forwarding, via a hub, the call to the called party via the internet service provider serving the called party if the called party is an internet telephony service subscriber and is on-line; and routing, via a hub, the call to the called party if the called party is off-line.
A method routes phone calls between traditional phone networks (POTS) and Internet telephony (IT). When a user dials a POTS number, a central hub receives the call. The hub checks if the dialed number belongs to an online IT subscriber. If so, the hub forwards the call to the IT subscriber's internet service provider (ISP). The ISP then delivers the call to the IT subscriber. If the dialed number is not an online IT subscriber, the hub routes the call to the called party through the standard POTS network. The hub uses the dialed POTS number to determine the correct ISP if the called party is an IT subscriber.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the hub comprises the internet service provider serving the calling party.
The method of routing calls between POTS and Internet telephony described above, where the central hub that receives, determines, forwards, and routes the calls is the internet service provider (ISP) serving the calling party. In other words, the caller's ISP acts as the central switch for handling the call based on whether the destination is a POTS number or an online IT subscriber.
3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the call is received at the internet service provider serving the calling party when the calling party is an internet telephony service subscriber who originates the call from a multi-media terminal.
The call routing method, where the caller's ISP is the hub, is specifically utilized when the calling party is an Internet telephony subscriber using a multimedia terminal (e.g., a computer or smartphone). The call originates from the IT subscriber's multimedia terminal and is received directly by their ISP, which then handles the routing based on whether the called party is online as an IT subscriber or uses the POTS network.
4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the internet service provider serving the calling party routes the call across the Internet to the internet service provider serving the called party when the called party is an internet telephony service subscriber and is on-line; and in the event the called party is off-line, the internet service provider serving the calling party routes the call to an inter-exchange network.
The call routing method, where the caller's ISP is the hub, handles routing decisions based on the called party's status. If the called party is an online IT subscriber, the caller's ISP routes the call across the Internet to the called party's ISP. If the called party is offline, the caller's ISP routes the call to an inter-exchange network (IXC), which is a long-distance carrier for traditional phone calls. The IXC then handles the final delivery to the called party's POTS number.
5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the internet service provider serving the calling party consults a dialed number database to determine the identity of the internet service provider serving the called party in order to route the call to the internet service provider serving the called party.
In the call routing method, when the caller's ISP routes the call to the called party's ISP across the internet, the caller's ISP consults a dialed number database to determine the identity of the called party's ISP. This database lookup allows the caller's ISP to correctly route the call over the internet, finding the correct destination for the IT subscriber's call.
6. The method of claim 4 , wherein the internet service provider serving the calling party launches a signaling inquiry to the internet service provider serving the called party to determine if the called party is on-line.
In the call routing method, where the caller's ISP is the hub, the caller's ISP can also determine if the called party is online by sending a signaling inquiry to the called party's ISP. This direct check confirms the online status of the called party before routing the call via the internet, improving routing accuracy.
7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the forwarding comprises: converting the call to an internet telephony format if the call is not presently in the internet telephony format; and delivering the call in the internet telephony format to the called party.
The call routing method, where the hub forwards a call to an IT subscriber's ISP, includes a conversion step. If the incoming call is not already in an internet telephony format (e.g., VoIP), the hub converts it. The converted call, now in IT format, is delivered to the called party via their ISP.
8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the call comprises an inter-exchange call and is routed through an inter-exchange network.
The call routing method can handle long-distance calls. Specifically, if the call dialed is an inter-exchange call, the hub routes the call through an inter-exchange network (IXC) as part of its routing process. This ensures calls that need long-distance routing are properly handled.
9. The method of claim 8 , further comprising: routing the call to the internet service provider serving the called party via the inter-exchange network to avoid access charges when the called party is an internet telephony service subscriber and is presently on-line.
In the call routing method, if the call is an inter-exchange call, and the called party is an online IT subscriber, the call is routed to the called party's ISP via the inter-exchange network to avoid access charges. By routing the call through the IXC, but terminating it at the ISP, the method optimizes cost.
10. The method of claim 1 , further comprising: receiving the call initially from the calling party at a first local telephone office; routing the call to an inter-exchange network; and launching an inquiry to a dialed number database from an inter-exchange carrier associated with the inter-exchange network.
The call routing method may also involve a first local telephone office receiving the call from the caller. It then routes the call to an inter-exchange network (IXC). The IXC then sends a query to a dialed number database to determine routing information.
11. A system for completing a call dialed from a calling party to a plain old telephony service number associated with a called party, comprising: a hub for receiving the call dialed to the plain old telephony service number associated with the called party in a telecommunications network, for determining whether the called party is an internet telephony subscriber and is on-line, wherein the determining uses the plain old telephony service number to identify an identity of an internet service provider serving the called party, for forwarding the call to the called party via the internet service provider serving the called party if the called party is an internet telephony subscriber and is on-line, and for routing the call to the called party if the called party is off-line.
A call routing system handles phone calls between traditional phone networks (POTS) and Internet telephony (IT). A central hub receives calls dialed to POTS numbers. The hub determines if the called party is an online IT subscriber by identifying their internet service provider (ISP). If so, the hub forwards the call to the called party via their ISP. Otherwise, the hub routes the call through the standard POTS network. The hub uses the dialed POTS number to find the ISP of the IT subscriber.
12. The system of claim 11 , wherein the receiving is performed at the internet service provider serving the calling party.
The call routing system described above, where the central hub is the internet service provider (ISP) serving the calling party. This ISP handles the initial reception of the call and makes the routing decisions based on whether the destination is a POTS number or an online IT subscriber.
13. The system of claim 11 , wherein the forwarding comprises: converting the call to an internet telephony format if the call is not presently in the internet telephony format; and delivering the call in the internet telephony format to the called party.
The call routing system, where the hub forwards a call to an IT subscriber's ISP, includes a conversion component. If the incoming call is not already in an internet telephony format, the hub converts it. The converted call, now in IT format, is delivered to the called party.
14. The system of claim 11 , wherein the call comprises an inter-exchange call and is routed through an inter-exchange network.
The call routing system can handle long-distance calls through an inter-exchange network (IXC). If the call is an inter-exchange call, the hub routes the call through an IXC as part of its routing process.
15. The system of claim 14 , further comprising: routing the call to the internet service provider serving the called party via the inter-exchange network to avoid access charges when the called party is an internet telephony service subscriber and is presently on-line.
In the call routing system, if the call is an inter-exchange call, and the called party is an online IT subscriber, the call is routed to the called party's ISP via the inter-exchange network to avoid access charges. This reduces the cost of the call.
16. The system of claim 11 , further comprising: receiving the call initially from the calling party at the hub comprising a first local telephone office; routing the call to an inter-exchange network; and launching an inquiry to a dialed number database from an inter-exchange carrier associated with the inter-exchange network.
The call routing system can also operate with a local telephone office as the hub. The local office receives the call, routes it to an inter-exchange network (IXC), and the IXC queries a dialed number database to determine routing.
17. The system of claim 11 , wherein the call is received at the internet service provider serving the calling party when the calling party is an internet telephony service subscriber who originates the call from a multi-media terminal.
The call routing system works when the calling party is an internet telephony (IT) subscriber using a multimedia terminal. Their ISP receives the call, acting as the hub and routing based on the called party's status (POTS or IT subscriber).
18. The system of claim 17 , wherein the internet service provider serving the calling party routes the call across the internet to the internet service provider serving the called party when the called party is an internet telephony service subscriber and is on-line; and in the event the called party is off-line, the internet service provider serving the calling party routes the call to an inter-exchange network.
In the call routing system, when the calling party originates the call from a multimedia terminal and their ISP acts as the hub, the ISP routes the call across the internet to the called party's ISP if the called party is an online IT subscriber. If the called party is offline, the caller's ISP routes the call to an inter-exchange network (IXC) for POTS delivery.
19. The system of claim 18 , wherein the internet service provider serving the calling party consults a dialed number database to determine the identity of the internet service provider serving the called party in order to route the call to the ISP serving the called party.
The call routing system uses a dialed number database lookup. When the caller's ISP needs to route a call to the called party's ISP across the internet, it consults this database to determine the identity of the called party's ISP. This allows correct routing.
20. The system of claim 18 , wherein the internet service provider serving the calling party launches a signaling inquiry to the internet service provider serving the called party to determine if the called party is on-line.
The call routing system can query the called party's ISP to check their online status. The calling party's ISP launches a signaling inquiry to the called party's ISP to determine if the called party is online before routing the call, ensuring accurate routing decisions.
Cooperative Patent Classification codes for this invention. Click any code to explore related patents in that topic.
July 21, 2009
August 27, 2013
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